Wayfaring
by wrenderings
Summary: "The timeline is fractured. It's up to you three to fix it," the King said pointing to Sora, Riku, and Kairi. "It's the only way things can go back to the way they were." (AU)
1. prelude: memory

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.  
A/N: Hi. I like writing.**

* * *

 _ **EVENING**_

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 **prelude: _memory_**

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 **.**

.  
 **Either my spark has lost its will or I've lost the will to create a spark.**  
.

Kairi stretched her fingers, hoping in vain they would reach the next keys. She didn't have a pianist s hands - they weren't slender, in fact, they were quite small. (A little too small for Kairi's tastes.) She continued to play the piano despite this slight inconvenience. Hearing the notes float by send a jolt through her as if she was more alive than she had ever been. It was almost like ... _like ..._

A flash of a blue wayfinder, a key-shaped weapon, and a black cloak went through her mind. Odd.

Those memor - flashes - seemed so distinctly real. Kairi shook her head. It was impossible. There was no such thing as ... as what? Nothing. No monsters. No strange weapons. No wayfinders that made her feel melancholy without reason. Maybe it was her overactive imagination. Her mother always told that. Grandma's stories must have implemented some sense of grandeur into her. She remembered running through the fields of Radiant Garden, pretending to be a hero defeating evil.

Too bad she had no one to share that with.

It was lonely. Even with all the friends she had now. Like it wasn't supposed to be this way.

Sometimes in her dreams she saw a spiky-haired boy with a smile that could light up the whole sky. He was accompanied by a silver-haired man. The two of them laughed and played on their island, always aging as she did. When Kairi awoke from those dreams, she didn't just feel the softness of her sheets, but the wetness from her eyes and an excruciating pain in her chest. It felt like someone was ripping her heart out each time.

She wondered if they ever dreamed of her.

Kairi shook her head again. Dreams meant nothing. They were nothing. What went on in her mind during her slumber wasn't something to go off of. Sure, she woke up crying, but it was the loneliness talking. There was no such thing as whatever those shadow monsters were or armed mice and ducks.

But she was real.

Her life was real and she had no time to think of this any longer. There was no use in being sad.

Kairi resumed her playing.

-x-

 _Sometimes I feel like I don't belong here. There are these people in my dreams that keep on appearing and I can feel their sadness. It's strange. I ... I try to think of their names, but I can never figure it out. Maybe writing down the poems from when I was a kid will help._

 _Hopefully._

 **Dreamer, Believer, Achiever **  
_Can we soar away?_  
 _Can we try?_  
 _No, they say  
Can we claim?_  
 _Dreamer, believer, achiever  
We know,  
But we don't let it show,_  
 _Have we lost all hope?_

 _(Kinda dark for a kid, right? Well, I have more.)_

 **The Other Girl**   
_I can see them smiling,  
_ _I know they've been hiding  
The truth away  
Simply because they don't want to say,  
_ _That they're committed,  
_ _And I admit, I hate their love,  
_ _How one fits the other like a glove,  
_ _And how I know I'm the villain_

 _(The weirdest one is the last one and please excuse my poem-writing. I was eight.)_

 **They Already Knew**  
 _An honest mistake_  
 _A hundred, "I love you's"_  
 _And a thousand, "I hate you's"_  
 _But they learned to take_  
 _What they got_  
 _As if they would make it_  
 _Though they knew in their hearts_  
 _That they would break_  
 _So here comes the trials_  
 _The endless miles_  
 _The fights and the pressure_  
 _All coming to desperate measures_  
 _They tried to rebel_  
 _Knowing fully well_  
 _Of the little white lies  
And the yells and the cries _  
_But they only recalled the good times_  
 _The laughs and the cheers_  
 _Though they knew the end was near_  
 _They tried to dwell on the past_  
 _To make it last_  
 _But the end was already here_  
 _So they shed a few tears_  
 _But what they had was real  
To seal away in their thoughts_  
 _So they smiled like it was the first time_  
 _Like it wasn't a crime_  
 _Then came the goodbyes_

 _The last one is just strange. I understand, but at the same time, I don't. There are days where I just don't feel like me. Is this the way it's supposed to be? Truly?_

 _I don't know._

\- Kairi

* * *

The girl looked over her work, having just transcribed it down into her journal.

A flash of light.

 _"Kairi!"_

 _"Sora!"_

It was dark. Too dark for her liking. She could hardly make out her own hands.

A scream.

A collision.

Darkness.

What was going on with her?

 _"Kairi, remember what you said before?"_

It was that voice again. There was something familiar about it, but she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Wait. Was she floating? She scrambled to feel the floor again.

Sand? Was she floating away from that voice?

 _"I'm always with you, too."_

Tears that shouldn't have been hers fell freely.

 _"I'll come back to you. I promise!"_

 _"I know you will!"_

Was that _her_ voice?

A promise.

Sora. Was that his name?

No, it couldn't be. This was her getting lost in her own thoughts again. Yeah. That's all it was.

That's all she'd let it be because otherwise, what would they be?

Memories? Visions? Her life?

No, her life was here in Radiant Garden. She went to school, hung out with friends, and helped out her grandmother when she had the time. That was her life. All those voices? They were nothing. They _had_ to be.

If she believed, what would happen?

It felt almost like her light was waning.

...

Where did that come from?

What did that even mean?


	2. prelude: sacrifice

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.  
**

* * *

 ** _DAWN_**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **prelude:** _ **sacrifice**_

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

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 **There is always a nightmare within a dream as there is always a dream within a nightmare.  
**.

Sora didn't understand. He never did.

Riku woke up to that thought. He looked out his window to see there were only stars in the sky. It wasn't even morning. Not really. The boy always woke up like this ever since he turned twelve. It was strange, yes, but he felt oddly calm waking to see the moon. It might not always be there during some cycles, but he knew it stayed in place even within the darkness.

... Where did that come from?

The _darkness_?

Riku scoffed. There was no such thing. Those were childish thoughts and Riku was anything _but_ childish. He was always the one carrying the weight around the island. Always helping out the elders and whatnot. They called him an ace, but really? He felt like nothing like one half the time. Like the only thing he was doing was going through the motions.

He tried explaining it to Sora once, but it didn't seem to register with his friend. Maybe he was crazy. Maybe that's why he was so envious of Sora.

Sora could smile and everything would be alright. It was like there was something missing; a piece Riku couldn't quite grasp no matter how hard he tried. It was no use anyway. Who could possibly understand what he was going through?

Mom said it was growing pains, but Riku always felt like it was something more. Almost as if he could be more than he was right now, but that was absurd. How much could a fifteen year old accomplish anyway?

Ah. There it was. The bitterness and anger.

What did that man say all those years ago?

Sora never seemed to remember him like Riku did. Then again, they _had_ been five.

 _"Outside this tiny world is a much bigger one."_

Riku remembered that day; how it had all been normal until that man came.

 _"In your hand take this key."_

The man had summoned some giant sword-shaped key. Riku was certain it had used some sort of magic or ... or _something._

 _"So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking ..."_

His head hurt.

 _"... its wielder you shall one day be."_

Everything hurt now.

 _"And you will find me, friend—"_

Water. He had to get to the water.

 _"—no ocean with contain you then."_

He didn't even think until after he was out of the house.

 _"No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."_

Wait. Riku remembered now. It was supposed to stay a secret. _That's_ why he could never explain anything to Sora.

Strange. How could he possibly forget their promise? Sure, it only happened when he was five, but Riku had a good memory. Better than Sora's, that's for sure.

...

He took the first step toward the island. The island he, Sora, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie played on as kids. Maybe they were still kids in a way.

The boy off running, the wind in his hair.

As he passed shops and houses, Riku thought of all those nights he stayed up praying as a child for something to happen. What it was, he didn't quite know, but he knew now things don't just happen. No, something—perhaps fate—sets it all into place. It was foolish to wait. He had to take action rather than simply react. That was the way of the world, right? Their world at least.

Riku stopped running. What exactly was he thinking? Maybe he _was_ crazy. There were days where he was sure he was. Telling Sora was a bad idea. He wouldn't understand. How could he? Sora was normal. He didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Without even realizing it, Riku found himself rowing his boat out to the island they played on as kids. The man said no ocean could contain him.

No, that was a stupid idea. He couldn't just up and leave. What would Sora do? How would he handle it?

All these questions and no answers.

Maybe he would just watch the sun rise. There wouldn't be any logical reason for Riku to do this, but sometimes, he couldn't explain himself. As he got out of his boat, he noticed an extra one.

It flickered then vanished.

Odd.

Nothing like that had happened before.

"Just a trick of the light," he mumbled. "Or lack of it." He looked around him, following the waves.

There were days where all he wanted to do was walk into the ocean and never come back. No raft. Nothing. Just him. Only him. He couldn't possibly take Sora with him. If he did, who knows what would happen.

For now, he would wait for sunrise.

* * *

Riku called it a memory rush. It only happened when he felt melancholy or alone. Sometimes he felt as if someone was on the other side crying too.

Red hair. Blue eyes. Girl.

The boy clutched his chest. What was this feeling? His subconscious. No. No, it couldn't be that. Someone was hurting, but he didn't know who. Riku fell to the ground. This agonizing pain; who else could possibly handle it if not him?

Answers. He needed answers.

Until he knew the truth, he would stay awake, always conscious. Or, at least he would try.

In the darkness, the boy caught a glimpse of a seashell and pocketed it. He didn't really know _why_ he did it as seashells didn't interest him. It just made him feel safe.

 _"Take care of her."_

... What? Take care of who? Selphie?

 _Keyblade._

Something inside of Riku stirred. Was that the name of the weapon that man had wielded so many years ago?

It had to be! Nothing else made sense.

A laugh escaped Riku's lips and with that laugh came the first streaks of dawn.


	3. prelude: destiny

**a/n: Please review. I'd love to know what you all think! Sora was really hard to write for some reason.**

 **Merry Christmas!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

 **MIDDAY  
.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **prelude: _destiny_**

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

.

 **My dream is my reality as my reality is my dream.**

.

 _"Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here."_

Who ... Who was talking to him?

 _"Gimme a break, K—"_

That was his voice, but how? None of this made any sense.

Sora opened his eyes. He was in the same (messy) room he fell asleep in last night and there were no monsters or swords. Nothing. Maybe Riku was right. Maybe his imagination was getting the better of him. Yet there was still a part of him that wondered where all these voices were coming from.

He grasped at the air. No. It was nothing.

The boy got out of bed, not thinking to make his bed or even clean his room, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Mornin', Mom," he said, stuffing a piece of toast into his mouth.

"Morning, Sora," she replied. "Going to play with Riku?"

Sora shook his head. " _Mom_ , it isn't 'playing', it's 'hanging out!'"

"I'm sorry, dear. Hanging out," she said, putting quotient marks on the words 'hanging out'.

"Anyway, me and Riku were thinking about making a r—" He stopped himself before the word 'raft' left his mouth.

"A what?"

"A really cool, um, sword! Yeah. A sword."

"Don't you two have enough of those?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Sora took a sip of his orange juice. "Well, we wanted to make one for Tidus to use."

"I see." The look she gave Sora said she didn't believe him, but Sora was out the door before she could ask anymore questions.

* * *

Riku was already at island when he arrived. He'd probably been there for hours if Sora had to guess. It was just like Riku to be early if he could even call it early by the sun's position in the sky. In all honesty, it was probably noon. Sora looked at all his surroundings; the blue sky, blue sea, and beautiful greenery. Despite how picturesque everything was, Sora felt something nagging him. Like something was missing, but didn't really know what it was exactly.

He didn't dwell on it though. There were other things to worry about; like the raft.

"Sora!" He looked up to see Riku running toward him. "Where have you been? It's nearly noon. You weren't sleeping in again where you?"

That voice's words came back to him. "N-No. Of course not. Heh."

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a terrible liar."

"What!? No, I'm not!"

"So, you admit it." Riku smirked and took off running. "Last one to the paopu tree is a rotten egg!"

"Huh?" After a moment Sora started running too.

The race was a close one, but as one could have guessed, Riku won.

"C'mon! Is that all you've got?" the silver-haired boy taunted.

Sora only greeted him with a glare and crossed arms. If Riku hadn't had a head start Sora would have won. Probably. It wasn't his fault Riku was better at everything! Really, who could compete with someone like Riku? He was strong, charming, and altogether perfect. Sora was jealous. Only a little. Well, maybe a lot, but that was besides the point. The point was Riku had it all and was constantly beating Sora at everything.

"Hmph. At least I'm not a hotshot."

" _Right._ At least I'm not as oblivious as you."

"Hey!" Sora took on a fighting stance. "Take that back! I pick up on a lot of things you don't."

Riku leaned in. "Like what, exactly?"

"Like, uh, how Selphie doesn't like it when people mess with her hair or how you hate it when people call you 'kid' or ... what was that word again?"

The older boy let out a chuckle and ruffled Sora's hair. "Very perceptive."

"So, how about the raft. When are we gonna start on it?"

The raft. Sora wasn't too sure about it. How far could a raft take them? It didn't seem plausible even for someone like him. If there were other worlds out there then why couldn't they just build a spaceship or something? Wouldn't that be better. Ah. Well, it was Riku's idea anyway. As Riku yammered on about the raft, Sora became lost in his own thoughts again. He thought back to that dream earlier and how it had seemed so real. Usually he wouldn't put much stock in his own dreams, but hearing his own voice reply to someone else? That was beyond weird.

He lifted his blue eyes to look at the sky. So many questions, but no answers.

"Hey, Riku?" he asked, still looking at the sky.

"What is it?"

"I think I'm gonna go to the Secret Place."

With that, Sora sprinted off toward the Secret Place. No one but Riku and him had ever been inside and it would stay like that. Yet as he got closer, the brunet couldn't help but feel sad. He put his hand to his chest and wondered what was wrong with him. Why should he be sad? There was nothing to be sad about. Sora walked in.

The air felt heavy for some reason. Almost like he couldn't breathe. Sora could hear his footsteps echo off the walls and for some reason that bothered him. It reminded him of the time when he thought there were monsters in here but Riku didn't believe him. Of course Riku was right. Sometimes Sora wished Riku was wrong.

 _"I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't."_

Suddenly snapped out of his reverie, Sora yelled, "Who's there?"

It was that same voice from before.

 _"Come on, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone."_

Sora looked around for the source of the voice but found none.

 _"Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me."_

Sora's heart hurt and he didn't know why. Maybe this wasn't how things were supposed to be.


	4. one: the journey begins

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

 **a/n: So, it's been a hot minute. Hope you enjoy! And please review, it helps a lot. Also, thanks to anyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. It means a lot to me.**

 _ **ONE - the journey begins**_

 _A year later ..._

When Kairi opened her eyes all she saw was blue. Upon closer inspection, she realized she was staring into a pair of eyes and not the ocean. With that realization came another realization; she was looking at a face. Going by the slightly rounded shape and boyish smile, she came to the conclusion that she was staring into the eyes of opposite sex.

"Are you okay?"

Kairi looked behind the boy and all she saw was unfamiliar buildings and a beautiful sunset.

She screamed.

The boy jumped back and put his hands up as if surrendering.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," he said, voice low.

"Where am I? Who are you? What's going on? How did I even get here?"

The boy answered her questions with ease. "First of all, you're in Twilight Town. I'm Roxas. And as for the last two questions, I don't really know. All I know is I found you passed out near the sandlot. And your name is?" He held out his hand.

"Kairi." She took his hand and stood up. "Twilight ... Town?" She looked around, taking in everything. "This doesn't make any sense. I've never heard of this place."

Roxas looked surprised. "Then," he started, scratching his head, "where are you from?"

"Radiant Garden."

"Huh. I've never heard of it. Do you remember anything before waking up here?" He began walking and she followed suit.

"I, well ..." She shivered, remembering the feeling of being alone. "I heard screaming. Lots of it. It's kind of a haze actually." She put a hand to her head. "I remember my grandmother and parents telling me to leave. And there were these odd creatures—monsters—that were black with glowing yellow eyes. They were creeping and kept coming from out of nowhere. Then, I saw my necklace start to glow and everything went black after that."

Kairi didn't mention the time a blue-haired woman saved her from monsters when she was around four or five because it didn't seem relevant. They didn't look like the same type of monster anyway.

"That's strange."

They were now heading up the stairs to the clocktower.

"Roxas." He looked at her.

"Yes?"

They had made it to the top of the tower.

"Is this safe?" she asked looking down at the town below.

"Well, there haven't been any accidents before. So, yeah. I guess."

"You guess?" She sighed. "They should at least put up a railing or something."

"Aw, but that'd take away the thrill."

Kairi shook her head and sat down next to Roxas. The view did look beautiful from here. It wasn't Radiant Garden, but it was homely. She was mesmerized by the colors in the sky. Radiant Garden's sunset couldn't top this one.

Roxas looked at Kairi and for a split second he swore he saw a different girl. One with the same blue eyes, but with blonde hair. He rubbed his eyes and continued staring at her. That was weird. Maybe it was a trick of the light?

"Maybe you're from another world," he blurted out. Another world? Where had _that_ come from? It was impossible.

She giggled. "Maybe you're right. I mean, neither of us have heard of each other's homeworlds. It's just ..." She looked up at the sky while her feet dangled over the ledge. "I wonder what happened to my home, my family. I really hope they're okay." She put a hand to her heart.

"Hey, I don't really know you, but I can try to help. It's the least I can do."

She let out a bitter laugh. "No, it's alright. I can find my way back home."

"How? he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I don't really know. All I know is I need to get back home. Hopefully it's still there."

Roxas felt something tug at his heart. Something told him he needed to help Kairi even if he didn't know why. He felt like they were connected somehow even if that sounded crazy or delusional. She did look like the girl from his dreams, maybe a little older.

"Let me help. Please. I can't let you go alone."

Somehow those words were familiar to her, almost like she'd said them to someone else. Someone important. She didn't want to burden Roxas with her problems, but this felt right. She didn't exactly know why. It just did.

"Okay."

The next thing she knew, the two of them were heading toward a large building that said _'Twilight Town Library.'_

"I was thinking we could start here because, well, we don't really know much about other worlds or how to get there."

She nodded. "I agree. It's a good starting point."

With those words the duo began their search.

Hours later, the two could be found hunched over a pile of books, looking for any mention of other worlds.

"I think I found something!" Kairi whisper-shouted, excitedly.

"What is it?"

She pointed toward a paragraph.

 _'In order to travel to another world one must have either a Keyblad, use dark corridors, or be able to pilot a gummiship. Other methods are unknown.'_

"What's a Keyblade?" The word felt familiar, but Roxas couldn't place where he'd heard it.

Kairi thought back to the woman with a strange weapon. "Maybe we can look it up," she offered. "It's worth a shot."

Funnily enough, Roxas and Kairi found information on the Keyblade much easier than they did on other worlds.

"So," Roxas began, "it's an ancient weapon in the shape of a key and only those strong of heart can wield it."

"Sounds about right."

"Well, we don't know how to use dark corridors, how to wield Keyblades or own a gummiship.

 _Train station._

"Huh? Who said that?"

"Who said what?" Roxas asked.

"I heard a voice."

 _Get to the train station. Now._

"Is there, by any chance, a train station?"

Roxas nodded.

"Then let's go."

"Just trust me, okay?"

The two got to the train station fairly quickly. After paying the fee, the two walked over to the train platform. What shocked Roxas the most wasn't the stars on the train or how it was purple, but the simple fact that there was no conductor.

There was another tug at Roxas' heart as if someone else was supposed to be in his place.

"Let's get on!" Kairi started walking toward the train.

"Whoa, whoa there. Kairi, we don't know where that thing leads. We may never come back if we step on that train." Where did that come from? Maybe it was the rumors about the mysterious train messing with his head.

"It's the only lead we have, Roxas," she said. "Please. It goes somewhere we need to be and you did say you would help me."

The boy sighed. "Alright, alright. Let's go."

Kairi cheered before stepping onto the train. Roxas eyed the ride warily. The lack of a conductor creeped him out a bit.

Roxas looked around after stepping in. It looked comfy enough. He wondered if he'd ever see Hayner, Pence, or Olette again.

That's when he heard a voice say; _Your journey is about to begin. It may be perilous and difficult, but never lose sight of your light._

What was he getting himself into?

* * *

 **a/n: MILD SPOILERS FOR KH3: I know Kairi doesn't really remember Aqua in KH3, but due to the fact her life before landing in Twilight Town is dull and she never finds herself in Destiny Islands, I figured she'd remember her.**

 **SPOILERS OVER.**

 **It took me a long time to write this chapter because I wasn't sure where to start. Hey, at least the chapter is out now, right? Originally, I was going to have her wake up in Traverse Town, but then I decided not to.**


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